CSAT Questions

In an examination, A has scored 20 marks more than B

• Percentages

In an examination, A has scored 20 marks more than B. If B has scored 5% less marks than A, how much has B scored?

1. 360
2. 380
3. 400
4. 420

Raju has Rs. 9000 with him and he wants to buy a mobile handset

• Percentages

Raju has Rs. 9000 with him and he wants to buy a mobile handset; but he finds that he has only 75% of the amount required to buy the handset. Therefore, he borrows Rs. 2000 from a friend. Then

1. Raju still does not have enough amount to buy the handset.
2. Raju has exactly the same amount as required to buy the handset.
3. Raju has enough amount to buy the handset and he will have Rs. 500 with him after buying the handset.
4. Raju has enough amount to buy the handset and he will have Rs. 1000 with him after buying the handset.

When a runner was crossing the 12 km mark

• Percentages

When a runner was crossing the 12 km mark, she was informed that she had completed only 80% of the race. How many kilometres was the runner supposed to run in this event?

1. 14
2. 15
3. 16
4. 16.5

A and B are two heavy steel blocks. If B is placed on the top of A

• Percentages

A and B are two heavy steel blocks. If B is placed on the top of A, the weight increases by 60%. How much weight will reduce with respect to the total weight of A and B, if B is removed from the top of A?

1. 60%
2. 45.5%
3. 40%
4. 37.5%

A student has to get 40% marks to pass in an examination

• Percentages

A student has to get 40% marks to pass in an examination. Suppose he gets 30 marks and fails by 30 marks, then what are the maximum marks in the examination?

1. 100
2. 120
3. 150
4. 300

In a test, a candidate attempted only 8 questions and secured

• Percentages

In a test, a candidate attempted only 8 questions and secured 50% marks in each of the questions. If he obtained a total of 40% in the test and all questions in the test carried equal marks, how many questions were there in the test?

1. 8
2. 10
3. 15 
4. 16

The average marks of 100 students are given to be 40

• Averages

The average marks of 100 students are given to be 40. It was found later that marks of one student were 53 which were misread as 83. The corrected mean marks are

1. 39
2. 39.7
3. 40
4. 40.3

Consider the following sequence: c_accaa_aa_bc_b

• Non Verbal Reasoning

Consider the following sequence that follows some arrangement:

c_accaa_aa_bc_b

The letters that appear in the gaps are

1. abba
2. cbbb
3. bbbb
4. cccc

A printer numbers the pages of a book starting with 1

• Numbers

A printer numbers the pages of a book starting with 1 and uses 3089 digits in all. How many pages does the book have?

1. 1040
2. 1048
3. 1049
4. 1050

What is X in the sequence 4, 196, 16, 144, 36, 100, 64, X

• Non Verbal Reasoning

What is X in the sequence 4, 196, 16, 144, 36, 100, 64, X?

1. 48
2. 64
3. 125
4. 256

A wall clock moves 10 minutes fast in every 24 hours

• Clocks

A wall clock moves 10 minutes fast in every 24 hours. The clock was set right to show the correct time at 8:00 a.m. on Monday. When the clock shows the time 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, what is the correct time?

1. 5:36 p.m.
2. 5:30 p.m.
3. 5:24 p.m.
4. 5:18 p.m.

What is X in the sequence 132, 129, 124, 117, 106, 93, X

• Non Verbal Reasoning

What is X in the sequence 132, 129, 124, 117, 106, 93, X?

1. 74
2. 75
3. 76
4. 77

India has banking correspondents, who help bring people

• UPSC Critical Reading

India has banking correspondents, who help bring people in the hinterland into the banking fold. For them to succeed, banks cannot crimp on costs. They also cannot afford to ignore investing in financial education and literacy. Banking correspondents are way too small to be viewed as a systemic risk. Yet India's banking regulator has restricted them to serving only one bank, perhaps to prevent arbitrage. Efforts at banking outreach may succeed only if there are better incentives at work for such last-mile workers and also those providers who ensure not just basic bank accounts but also products such as accident and life insurance and micro pension schemes.

A vast majority of Indians are poor, with barely 10 percent employed

• UPSC Critical Reading

A vast majority of Indians are poor, with barely 10 percent employed in the organised sector. We are being convinced that vigorous economic growth is generating substantial employment. But this is not so. When our economy was growing at 3 percent per year, employment in the organised sector was growing at 2 percent per year. As the economy began to grow at 7 - 8 percent per year, the rate of growth of employment in the organised sector actually declined to 1 percent per year.

The interests of working and poor people have historically been neglected

• UPSC Critical Reading

The interests of working and poor people have historically been neglected in the planning of our cities. Our cities are increasingly intolerant, unsafe and unlivable places for large numbers of citizens and yet we continue to plan via the old ways - the static Development Plan - that draws exclusively from technical expertise, distanced from people's live experiences and needs, and actively excluding large number of people, places, activities and practices that are an integral part of the city.

Diarrhoeal deaths among Indian children are mostly due to food and water contamination

• UPSC Critical Reading

Diarrhoeal deaths among Indian children are mostly due to food and water contamination. Use of contaminated groundwater and unsafe chemicals in agriculture, poor hygiene in storage and handling of food items to food cooked and distributed in unhygienic surroundings; there are myriad factors that need regulation and monitoring. People need to have awareness of adulteration and ways of complaining to the relevant authorities. Surveillance of food-borne diseases involves a number of government agencies and entails good training of inspection staff. Considering the proportion of the urban population that depends on street food for its daily meals, investing in training and education of street vendors is of great significance.

Most invasive species are neither terribly successful nor very harmful

• UPSC Critical Reading

Most invasive species are neither terribly successful nor very harmful. Britain's invasive plants are not widespread, not spreading especially quickly, and often less of a nuisance than vigorous natives such as bracken. The arrival of new species almost always increases biological diversity in a region; in many cases, a flood of newcomers drives no native species to extinction. One reason is that invaders tend to colonise disturbed habitats like polluted lakes and post-industrial wasteland, where little else lives. They are nature's opportunists.

What stands in the way of the widespread and careful adoption

• UPSC Critical Reading

What stands in the way of the widespread and careful adoption of 'Genetic Modification (GM)' technology is an `Intellectual Property Rights' regime that seeks to create private monopolies for such technologies. If GM technology is largely corporate driven, it seeks to maximize profits and that too in the short run. That is why corporations make major investments for herbicide-tolerant and pest-resistant crops. Such properties have only a short window, as soon enough, pests and weeds will evolve to overcome such resistance. This suits the corporations. The National Farmers Commission pointed out that priority must be given in genetic modification to the incorporation of genes that can help impart resistance to drought, salinity and other stresses.

In a school, 60% students play cricket

• Basic LR Sets

In a school, 60% students play cricket. A student who does not play cricket, plays football. Every football player has got a two-wheeler. Which of the following conclusions cannot be drawn from the data?

1. 60% of the students do not have two-wheelers.
2. No cricketer has a two-wheeler.
3. Cricket players do not play football.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

P, Q and R are three towns. The distance between P and Q is 60 km

• Directions

P, Q and R are three towns. The distance between P and Q is 60 km, whereas the distance between P and R is 80 km. Q is in the West of P and R is in the South of P. What is the distance between Q and R?

1. 140 km
2. 130 km
3. 110 km
4. 100 km

A five-storeyed building with floors from I to V is painted

• Basic LR Sets

A five-storeyed building with floors from I to V is painted using four different colours and only one colour is used to paint a floor.

Consider the following statements:

1. The middle three floors are painted in different colours.
2. The second (II) and the fourth (IV) floors are painted in different colours.
3. The first (I) and the fifth (V) floors are painted red.

To ensure that any two consecutive floors have different colours

1. Only statement 2 is sufficient
2. Only statement 3 is sufficient
3. Statement 1 is not sufficient, but statement 1 along with statement 2 is sufficient
4. Statement 3 is not sufficient, but statement 3 along with statement 2 is sufficient

A majority of the TB infected in India are poor and lack sufficient nutrition

• UPSC Critical Reading

A majority of the TB infected in India are poor and lack sufficient nutrition, suitable housing and have little understanding of prevention. TB then devastates families, makes the poor poorer, particularly affects women and children, and leads to ostracisation and loss of employment. The truth is that even if TB does not kill them, hunger and poverty will. Another truth is that deep-seated stigma, lack of counselling, expensive treatment and lack of adequate support from providers and family, coupled with torturous side-effects demotivate patients to continue treatment - with disastrous health consequences.

Access to schooling for those coming of school age is close to universal

• UPSC Critical Reading

Access to schooling for those coming of school age is close to universal, but access to quality exhibits a sharp gradient with socio-economic status. Quotas for the weaker sections in private schools is a provision introduced by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. The quotas have imposed a debate on issues of social integration and equity in education that private actors had escaped by and large. The idea of egalitarian education system with equality of opportunity as its primary goal appears to be outside the space that private school principals inhabit. Therefore, the imposition of the quotas has led to resistance, sometimes justified.

A changing climate, and the eventual efforts of governments

• UPSC Critical Reading

A changing climate, and the eventual efforts of governments (however reluctant) to deal with it, could have a big impact on investors' returns. Companies that produce or use large amounts of fossil fuels will face higher taxes and regulatory burdens. Some energy producers may find it impossible to exploit their known reserves, and be left with "stranded assets" - deposits of oil and coal that have to be left in the ground. Other industries could be affected by the economic damage caused by more extreme weather - storms, floods, heat waves and droughts.

The rural poor across the world, including India

• UPSC Critical Reading

The rural poor across the world, including India, have contributed little to human-induced climate change, yet they are on the front line in coping with its effects. Farmers can no longer rely on historical averages for rainfall and temperature, and the more frequent and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, can spell disaster. And there are new threats, such as sea level rise and the impact of melting glaciers on water supply. How significant are small farms? As many as two billion people worldwide depend on them for their food and livelihood. Small-holder farmers in India produce 41 percent of the country's food grains, and other food items that contribute to local and national food security.

With the digital phenomenon restructuring most social sectors

• UPSC Critical Reading

With the digital phenomenon restructuring most social sectors, it is little surprise that global trade negotiations are now eyeing the digital area in an attempt to pre-emptively colonise it. Big Data is freely collected or mined from developing countries, and converted into digital intelligence in developed countries. This intelligence begins to control different sectors and extract monopoly rents. A large foreign company providing cab service, for instance, is not a work of cars and drivers, it is digital intelligence about commuting, public transport, roads, traffic, city events, personal behavioural characteristics of commuters and driver and so on.

Low-end IoT (Internet of Things) devices are cheap commodity items

• UPSC Critical Reading

Low-end IoT (Internet of Things) devices are cheap commodity items: addressing security would add to the cost. This class of items is proliferating with new applications; many home appliances, thermostats, security and monitoring devices and personal convenience devices are part of the IoT. So are fitness trackers, certain medical implants and computer-like devices in automobiles. The IoT is expected to expand exponentially - but new security challenges are daunting.

Which one of the following statements is the most logical and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

1. Development of enabling technologies in India can be a big boost to its manufacturing sector.
2. India is not yet fully ready to adopt IoT in view of the imminent security challenges.
3. Life becomes more comfortable with the development of cheap low-end IoT devices.
4. As we go digital, we must recognise the huge threat to Internet security from some IoT devices.

In a conference, out of a total 100 participants, 70 are Indians

In a conference, out of a total 100 participants, 70 are Indians. If 60 of the total participants are vegetarian, then which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. At least 30 Indian participants are vegetarian.
2. At least 10 Indian participants are non-vegetarian.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

Rakesh and Rajesh together bought 10 balls and 10 rackets

• Linear Equations

Rakesh and Rajesh together bought 10 balls and 10 rackets. Rakesh spent Rs. 1300 and Rajesh spent Rs. 1500. If each racket costs three times a ball does, then what is the price of a racket?

1. Rs. 70
2. Rs. 90
3. Rs. 210
4. Rs. 240

In 2002, Meenu's age was one-third of the age of Meera

• Linear Equations

In 2002, Meenu's age was one-third of the age of Meera, whereas in 2010, Meenu's age was half the age of Meera. What is Meenu's year of birth?

1. 1992
2. 1994
3. 1996
4. 1998

Some rats are cats. Some cats are dogs

• Syllogism

Consider the following Statements and Conclusions:

Statements:

1. Some rats are cats.
2. Some cats are dogs.
3. No dog is a cow.

Conclusions:

1. No cow is a cat.
2. No dog is a rat.
3. Some cats are rats.

Which of the above conclusions is/are drawn from the statements?

1. I, II and III
2. Only I and II
3. Only III
4. Only II and III

Mr 'X' has three children

• Calendar

Mr 'X' has three children. The birthday of the first child falls on the 5^th Monday of April, that of the second one falls on the 5^th Thursday of November. On which day is the birthday of his third child, which falls on 20^th December?

1. Monday
2. Thursday
3. Saturday
4. Sunday

A solid cube is painted yellow, blue and black

• Cubes

A solid cube is painted yellow, blue and black such that opposite faces are of same colour. The cube is then cut into 36 cubes of two different sizes such that 32 cubes are small and the other four cubes are Big. None of the faces of the bigger cubes is painted blue. How many cubes have only one face painted?

1. 4
2. 6
3. 8
4. 10

Around 56 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had not fully opened

• UPSC Critical Reading

Around 56 million years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had not fully opened and animals, perhaps including our primate ancestors, could walk from Asia to North America through Europe and across Greenland. Earth was warmer than it is today, but as the Palaeocene epoch gave way to Eocene, it was about to get much warmer still - rapidly and radically. The cause was a massive geologically sudden release of carbon. During this period called Palaeocene - Eocene Thermal Maximum or PETM, the carbon injected into the atmosphere was roughly the amount that Would be injected today if humans burned all the Earth's reserves of coal, oil and natural gas. The PETM lasted for about 1,50,000 years, until the excess carbon was reabsorbed. It brought on drought, floods, insect plagues and a few extinctions. Life on Earth survived - indeed, it prospered - but it was drastically different.

A bat's wings may look like sheets of skin

• UPSC Critical Reading

A bat's wings may look like sheets of skin. But underneath, a bat has the same five fingers as an orangutan or a human, as well as a wrist connected to the same cluster of wrist bones connected to the same long bones of the arm. What can be more curious than that the hand of a man, formed for grasping, that of a mole for digging, the leg of the horse, the-paddle of the porpoise, and the wing of the bat, should all be constructed on the some pattern?

Which one of the following is the most logical, scientific and rational inference that can be made from the above passage?

1. Different species having similar structure of hands is an example of biodiversity.
2. Limbs being used by different species for different kinds of work is an example of biodiversity.
3. Man and the aforementioned animals having similar structure of limbs is an example of coincidence in evolution.
4. Man and the aforementioned animals have a shared evolutionary history.

Climate change may actually benefit some plants

• UPSC Critical Reading

Climate change may actually benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide. Yet other effects of a warmer world, such as more pests, droughts, and flooding, will be less benign. How will the world adapt? Researchers project that by 2050, suitable croplands for four commodities - maize, potatoes, rice and wheat - will shift, in some cases pushing farmers to plant new crops. Some farmlands may benefit from warming, but others won't. Climate alone does not dictate yields; political shifts, global demand, and agricultural practices will influence how farms fare in the future.

Inequality is visible, even statistically measurable in many instances

• UPSC Critical Reading

Inequality is visible, even statistically measurable in many instances, but the economic power that drives it is invisible and not measurable. Like the force of gravity, power is the organising principle of inequality, be it of income, or wealth, gender, race, religion and region. Its effects are seen in a pervasive manner in all spheres, but the ways in which economic power pulls and tilts visible economic variables remain invisibly obscure.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Economic power is the only reason for the existence of inequality in a society.
2. Inequality of different kinds, income, wealth, etc, reinforces power.
3. Economic power can be analysed more through its effects than by direct empirical methods.

Which of thy above assumptions is/are valid?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Soil, in which nearly all our food grows, is a living resource

• UPSC Critical Reading

Soil, in which nearly all our food grows, is a living resource that takes years to form. Yet it can vanish in minutes. Each year 75 billion tonnes of fertile soil is lost to erosion. That is alarming - and not just for food producers. Soil can trap huge quantities of carbon dioxide in the form of organic carbon and prevent it from escaping into the atmosphere.

On the basis of the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Large scale soil erosion is a major reason for widespread food insecurity in the world.
2. Soil erosion is mainly anthropogenic.
3. Sustainable management of soils helps in combating climate change.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 only
3. 2 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Education plays a great transformatory role in life

• UPSC Critical Reading

Education plays a great transformatory role in life, particularly so in this rapidly changing and globalizing world. Universities are the custodians of the intellectual capital and promoters of culture and specialized knowledge. Culture is an activity of thought, and receptiveness to beauty and human feelings. A merely well informed man is only a bore on God's earth. What we should aim at is producing men who possess both culture and expert knowledge. Their expert knowledge will give them a firm ground to start from and their culture will lead them as deep as philosophy and as high as art. Together it will impart meaning to human existence.

Political theorists no doubt have to take history of injustice

• UPSC Critical Reading

Political theorists no doubt have to take history of injustice, for example, untouchability, seriously. The concept of historical injustice takes note of a variety of historical wrongs that continue into the present in some form or the other and tend to resist repair. Two reasons might account for resistance to repair. One, not only are the roots of injustice buried deep in history, injustice itself constitutes economic structures of exploitation, ideologies of discrimination and modes of representation. Two, the category of historical injustice generally extends across a number of wrongs such as economic deprivation, social discrimination and lack of recognition. This category is complex, not only because of the overlap between a number of wrongs, but because one or the other wrong, generally discrimination, tends to acquire partial autonomy from others. This is borne out by the history of repair in India.

In the context of wearable technology

• Technology GK

In the context of wearable technology, which of the following tasks is/are accomplished by wearable devices?

1. Location identification of a person
2. Sleep monitoring of a person
3. Assisting the hearing-impaired person

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

A digital signature is

• Technology GK

Consider the following statements:

A digital signature is

1. an electronic record that identifies the certifying authority issuing it
2. used to serve as a proof of identity of an individual to access information or server on Internet
3. an electronic method of signing an electronic document and ensuring that the original content is unchanged

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

In the context of digital technologies for entertainment

• Technology GK

In the context of digital technologies for entertainment consider the following statements:

1. In Augmented Reality (AR), a simulated environment is created and the physical world is completely shut out.
2. In Virtual Reality (VR), images generated from a computer are projected onto real-life objects or surroundings.
3. AR allows individuals to be present in the world and improves the experience using the camera of smart-phone or PC.
4. VR closes the world, and transposes an individual, providing complete immersion experience.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 3 and 4
3. 1, 2 and 3
4. 4 only

The money multiplier in an economy increases with

• Money Banking

The money multiplier in an economy increases with which one of the following?

1. Increase in the cash reserve ratio
2. increase in the banking habit of the population
3. Increase in the statutory liquidity ratio
4. Increase in the population of the country

The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India

• Indian Economy

The economic cost of food grains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus

1. transportation cost only
2. interest cost only
3. procurement incidentals and distribution cost
4. procurement incidentals and charges for godowns

Which is not a sub-index of the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index

• World Economy

Which one of the following is not a sub-index of the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business Index'?

1. Maintenance of law and order
2. Paying taxes
3. Registering property
4. Dealing with construction permits

With reference to communication technologies, difference between LTE and VoLTE

• Technology GK

With reference to communication technologies, what is / are the difference / differences between LTE (Long-Term Evolution) and VoLTE (Voice over Long-Term Evolution)?

1. LTE is commonly marketed as 3G and VoLTE is commonly marketed as advanced 3G.
2. LTE is data-only technology and VoLTE is voice-only technology.

Which of the statements is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both 1 and 2
4. Neither 1 nor 2

The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by

• Money Banking

The Chairmen of public sector banks are selected by the

1. Banks Board Bureau
2. Reserve Bank of India
3. Union Ministry of Finance
4. Management of concerned bank

With reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

• World Economy

With reference to Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), consider the following statements:

1. AIIB has more than 80 member nations.
2. India is the largest shareholder in AIIB.
3. AIIB does not have any members from outside Asia.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. 1 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

With reference to India's Five-Year Plans

• Indian Economy

With reference to India's Five-Year Plans, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. From the Second Five-Year Plan, there was a determined thrust towards substitution of basic and capital good industries.
2. The Fourth Five-Year Plan adopted the objective of correcting the earlier trend of increased concentration of wealth and economic power.
3. In the Fifth Five-Year Plan, for the first time, the financial sector was included as an integral part of the Plan.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 only
3. 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3